Decals for Samurai in Sengoku Period Japan

My range of Samurai decals are primarily intended for use with 28mm figures, though I can print sizes that will work with 15mm and I intend to produce a range suitable for 6mm figures sometime soon, this has proved to be a lot more difficult than I’d hoped, it’s not just a case of shrinking my existing designs. . You can see the full range in the picture below.

Well known clans

Japanese heraldry in the Sengoku period is all rather complicated and full of uncertainty. I am in the process of writing an article about samurai banners for wargamers and I’ve already put together some notes on the possible uses of these decals. Most of the designs shown above are known to have been used on some army or daimyo standards and/or on the sashimonos of some Samurai and possibly Ashigaru. Some were not particularly common. They’re all based known patterns, mostly clan mons, though they may differ in small details and may not have been in use until after the warring states period. I would welcome suggestions for additions to the range.

Here’s a list of some of the symbols associated with some of the big name samurai clans fighting in the Sengoku period. If you have any questions on any individual design please email me at dereksweetoys@gmail.com and I will try and give you an answer.

Ashikaga E7
Date B1
Hojo D1
Honda A3
Mori C7

Oda A7
Saito A6
Sanada D3
Shimazu B10
Takeda D2

Tokugawa A1
Toyotomi A5
Uesugi B3
Yagyu B2

Notes on the usage of all the symbols in the graphic above can be found here.

Decal Colours

I now have decals available in a number of colours, black, yellow, red and blue, you can see how they work here. Some colours of decal don’t work at all well on some backgrounds, mostly dark coloured ones, and I don’t recommend you use some combinations.

The good news is, as you can see below, black decals work well on just about anything.

Black decals will work on just about any other colour

Here’s some more colours.

Most colours of decal work well on top of white, red works on a yellow background.

You need to use a work-round to use my decals to get a light coloured symbol on a dark background. There’s more information on the various colours and colour combinations available here.

Decal Sizes

I can print these decals in just about any size you like up and I have a page showing my recommendations for what sizes fit best on the banners provided by several companies producing 28mm miniatures for wargaming here.

Buying the Decals

Cost is £5 for a 90mm x 130mm sheet containing a single size of decal, including postage and packing to the UK or Europe. P&P elsewhere will be charged at cost. The number of decals fitting on a sheet depends on their size. For guidance you get over 200 6mm decals on one of these sheet. Sheets of obviously asymmetrical symbols (e.g A8, A9, B4, B7, B8, B9, C3, C10) come with half the decals as shown above, half as a mirror image, this enables you to reflect the reality that a stencilled symbol on one side of a banner showed through to the other side of the material.

To buy send me an email and we can discuss your requirements and I’ll send you a PayPal invoice. I’m in the process of getting together an online store, but it’s all a lot more time consuming than I thought so I’ll be selling them like this as a start.

Please ask for a quote if you want a decal sheet with mixed sizes and/or designs on it. You can get a lot of decals on an A6 sheet.